BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Hawai’i Museums Association (HMA) is governed by volunteer board members with representation from each of Hawai‘i’s four counties; Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Maui.

President

Heather Diamond was head curator at ʻIolani Palace, and is current president of the Hawai‘i Museums Association. She has a BFA in studio art and an MA in English and folklore studies from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Hawaii. She is the author of American Aloha: Cultural Tourism and the Negotiation of Tradition, and teaches online courses for the University of Hawai‘i. She is interested in expanding HMA’s reach to professionals statewide with new membership and program benefits and initiatives.

Kathy Suter designed and produced exhibit media for twelve years at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution located in Washington, DC. Kathy was one of the original staff that helped open the museum in 2004 and brings a wealth of knowledge working with the Native American community and over twenty years of experience in marketing and media work at the Smithsonian. She now lives in Kealakekua on the Big Island of Hawai‘i after retiring. Kathy holds a BA in Art History, from Knox College, Galesburg, IL.

Theo Morrison is Executive Director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which operates six museums, hosts five large cultural events, and maintains parks and public areas within the Lahaina Historic Districts on Maui. She has over 20 years of experience in the fields of art, culture, history, and placemaking, and is looking forward to engaging with HMA members statewide. Theo has a BFA in Textiles, from the California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA, and is certified with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Neida Bangerter, Maui Arts & Cultural Center

O’ahu Representative

Heather Terstegge is currently the social and digital media intern for Hawai‘i Museums Association, and is also an independent data migration and museum collections consultant at Shangri La, Center for Islamic Arts and Culture, Honolulu, O‘ahu. She holds a BA in Anthropology, and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is working toward a MLIS degree from San Jose State University.

Suzette Scotti, Leeward Community College (Art History), O‘ahu

Nūhou

Karen Ewald is the Program Manager of the Art in Public Places Program at the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), Honolulu, O‘ahu, and is eager to forge new and stronger ties between SFCA and the other arts and cultural institutions in Hawai`i. She was Programs Manager in Education and Exhibits at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and in 2013 she relocated to Honolulu. Karen has a BA in Art History from San Diego State University.

Public Outreach

Jill Laughlin is Manager of Education, Outreach and Volunteer Programs at Lyon Arboretum, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is an advocate for museum-based informal education, lifelong learning, and improving cultural and physical access. Some of her special interest lies in how innovation, leadership, systems thinking and technology can be used to enrich the community and improve public gardens management. Jill has a BA in Liberal Studies, Landscape Ecology, from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Programming

Nicholas Griffith is a Collections Technician for the Natural Sciences Division at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, O‘ahu. Excited about art, natural history, and everything digital, he promotes the notion of open access as a way of connecting museum visitors with content. He has a BS in Marine Biology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and is currently enrolled in the Museum Studies Graduate Program at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.